Ocean El Faro

The resort was quite pleasant, well-maintained, and the food was satisfactory. However, there was a significant safety concern regarding the pool. My wife, transitioning from the chairs to the pool, stepped on the white overflow grate and it gave way, causing her to injure her leg with a substantial scratch and bruise. This was an unfortunate beginning to our vacation. Other guests, who came to assist, mentioned that this was a recurring issue in the same location. A lifeguard responded by placing a 'wet floor' caution sign over the broken grate but did not check about my wife's well-being. The grate was later superficially fixed by simply being put back in place, without any real repair. The following day, another guest experienced a similar fall at the same spot, resulting in more severe injuries.

Additionally, the water in the pool and lazy river was noticeably cloudy and had a disagreeable taste. It appeared as though they were either not cleaned regularly or the filtration system was malfunctioning.

The service at the resort left much to be desired. At the buffet, being acknowledged by a server and offered water was a matter of luck, and being asked if we'd like a drink was even rarer. During our ten visits to the buffet, we were provided water only half the time and offered a drink just once.

Our experience at the Blue Moon restaurant was equally disappointing. Our server initially took our order but then became inattentive. Despite seeing him pass by several times, he never checked on us. We managed to receive some wine from another staff member. After finishing our meal, we attempted to order dessert, but our server was nowhere to be found. We even asked another employee for assistance, who directed us back to our absent server. After an additional 15-minute wait, we decided to leave, having waited a total of 30 minutes after our meal without any service. [Details]

We will definitely be back here. The best buffet, nice accomodation and so relaxing. [Details]

The Hotel is beautiful and modern. The rooms are very nice, with modern decor. Had to change rooms twice. Our first room was so damp and cold that the sheets were wet. My passport curled upon itself in a couple of hours and the room smelled so bad- like a leaky basement. The second room was across from the Disco and too loud to sleep. Our last room was good. The staff were good to accommodate us in a timely manner to get our rooms switched.
I have food sensitivities and allergy. Went to front desk as soon as I got there to let them know. They gave me a blue card that described by diagrams what I have an allergy to. I circled what I was allergic to as instructed by staff. Every time I went to buffet, it was hard to get someone's attention to show them the card. When I would show the card, no one understood what the card meant or what I was trying to say. It also seems as though they had never seen the card before. I then used Google translate which had them shaking their heads "no" to say they didn't understand what google translate was trying to say. It is difficult in a buffet to explain what you need and in such a place that it seems a majority of staff do not understand English. I decided that my safest option was to go to the a la cart restaurants where I could specifically speak to the waiter/waitress about my food allergy and sensitivities. At the steakhouse, they asked if I had allergies before entering which I thought was great, but as soon as we sat down in the steakhouse, the waiter brought over bread with baked cheese on it. The staff would go through the motions of asking about food allergies but it wouldn't get communicated to the wait staff or the kitchen. The same happened at the Italian restaurant. This made my dining experience stressful for the whole week as I was constantly worrying about getting sick. Luckily I guessed at the right foods for me.
The Japanese restaurant was safe for me. [Details]

During the holiday of 2023, we stayed at Ocean El Faro, in the swim-up suite for a short stay. The hotel had a large footprint with many onsite amenities. Everything that was noted on the hotel as being offered was present. Overall, the hotel is nice but I would hesitate to compare it to a true 5-star hotel. It boasts a lot of features however the finishings and services would be more comparable to a 4-star hotel. The price of the hotel is accurate for the services and resort that is offered. [Details]

Loved the Lazy River but the room we were in was a bit far away from restaurants ect as it was hard at times getting a golf cart I have trouble walking far & my husband has dementia so I had to watch him constantly if he wanted to go back to room I lost him twice in restaurant/ Buffett
My son wanted too book for beginning of March but too expensive for 3 of them [Details]

It's an amazing experience. Five days was not enough to cover everything. Staff was really good and friendly but little barrier was the language. (But managed it). They had amazing events at different times. Food and liquor were available at anytime whenever you want and it's all inclusive. The beach was lovely [Details]

We stayed at the hotel 7 days. The resort was really pretty and the room too. Had lots of fun. We were in the El Beso part and it was calmer than the other section. However I didn't wear my bracelet all week and the staff did not even asked for it so we could of gone with a cheeper room and just go to the pool El Best and nobody would of said anything.

If you want to party El Beso is the place for you. They do late night party for adults. [Details]

First time here and I was extremely happy, impressed & satisfied with my overall experience at this resort. From the checking staff to my room, everything was great. My room was spacious, clean, comfortable. The facilities as well, the beach was excellent & all the staff top notch, friendly, helpful & professional. Highly recommended Ocean El Faro. Gorgeous resort. Loved my vacation here. [Details]

We survived our vacation at Ocean El Faro but it is definitely not a place we would revisit or recommend to anyone that has travelled extensively. Some of the staff at the hotel are accommodating, the other half are dismissive and couldn't care less that you've worked hard all year to afford this vacation for your family and the least you expect is good customer service.

The first night we arrived, we noticed a strong moldy scent in the room which lasted the entire duration of the vacation. All of our clothing remained damp for the entire week because the place was so mildewed. Luckily for us, one of our friends read the reviews extensively before coming and brought a moisture absorber. She has extras and shared them with the rest of our group. If not, we would have likely died of mold inhalation.

It is next to impossible to book a specialty restaurant - especially if you are travelling with a big group. You have the option to book online at 8am but by 8:01am, all of the reservations are gone. You can also wait in line to book (also at 8am). People were lined up on a daily basis and even borrowed chairs from the main square to sit because the wait was so long. Not exactly how you want to spend your time on vacation so be prepared to become very comfortable with the buffet if you are not able to get a booking. The food? Meh. It wasn't the worst. If you stick to items you know, you'll make it out without having to hug the porcelain express. I stuck to omelets every morning made by the lovely Juan. The buffet is very short staffed. It was next to impossible to get a drink or extra utensils, or even napkins. Ideally, someone should be assigned to a few tables and that way, all tables have a waiter. On more than one occasion we had to leave our seats to flag down workers just to get the basic items you get in a restaurant.

The resort is fairly large. We were in the furthest building from the main hall so we resorted to taking the shuttle on most days because it was so hot - borderline hell. All of the shuttle drivers were kind, except the one who left us waiting at the stop and never came back to get us one evening. We almost missed our restaurant reservation because of this. We literally wonder if it's because we weren't able to parlé Spanish with him like some passengers were able to.

We booked a bus to go shopping with one of the hotel workers and he ghosted us. Never showed up the day of the outing and did not answer our call. We were fortunate to find another worker who was instrumental in finding a bus to accommodate our large group. The original worker reached out to us an hour after we departed for our shopping trip but I didn't respond. No point.

We managed to get a spa day in. The ladies at the spa were professional and helpful. We thoroughly enjoyed our time spent there. Be advised, if you are planning to claim your massage through insurance, they will only issue your receipt to the person whose name the room is booked in - even if they have not had a massage! Makes absolutely no sense but reception couldn't figure it out.

The grounds are very well maintained and clean. Housekeeping was pleasant and kind and she took care of our room well and stocked it regularly.

The beach is lovely however, there is so much seaweed it makes it really uncomfortable to get to the water and even be in the water. We spent most of our time at the pool which leads me to the service we received at the pool bar. Terrible, terrible, terrible. One specific worker made it bad for the team because all we remember is how horribly she treated us by ignoring us and walking away to serve other guests while we were mid-sentence in ordering!!! The staff at this hotel need a really good course in customer service. Having visited many all-inclusive resorts, this one sits comfortably at the bottom of the list for customer service.

We were bored most nights. The shows lack creativity and turned out to be a snooze fest for most guests. It would be helpful for Management to travel to other all-inclusive resorts in other countries to see how they can improve the entertainment aspect of this place.

In summary, if you've travelled previously, this is not a great place to visit. One of the gentlemen in our group had never ever travelled before and thought it was the greatest thing out. He had nothing to compare it to!! The rest of us have been to multiple places and each of us agree this is definitely not the place to spend your hard earned money. [Details]

I was shocked to learn this hotel was only 4 years old. It was truthfully falling apart. From missing pool tiles to so much rust staining and dripping down the walls from the roof it was very hard TK believe I could be in such bad shape in 4 years.

The rooms also had the most horrible and moldy/mildew smell. But there no place to buy air freshen air to help. You will adjust to bad smell but it's almost unbearable in the beginning

Service is overall very slow. Sometimes it would take 10-15 mins to get a drink at the restaurants of food places. All of the staff and service was the slowest I've ever experienced and I'm a big tipper (tipped over $200usd during my stay). [Details]

I wish I could write a better review for this resort but we had the absolute worst experience.... I went with my boyfriend and we stayed for 8 days. We booked privilege to have all of the bonus aspects of what comes with it... little did we know, we got absolutely scammed. We read reviews before booking and we read a lot of great reviews so we got totally scammed based off of what we experienced. To begin with, we had a butler (name was Manuel) he brought us to our room, told us that anything we needed at all to message him on WhatsApp and he will be at our service no matter what. Seems great right? Well the AC in the room did not work, the mini fridge did not keep anything refreshingly cold, the shower leaked water throughout the entire bathroom - so much so that if you had to go pee, you had to sit/stand in a puddle of water to do so. We messaged the butler and told him our issues and he did not provide us with any help, but instead tried to give us the room down the hall with the same issues (no working AC, same shower leak). We said no, we need a working room. He then directed us to the front desk who again was NO HELP at all, did not provide us with any upgrades or a new room and kept telling us that a manager would call our room phone to get it all figured out. NO ONE CALLED OR TRIED TO HELP US. Our butler made two dinner reservations for the first two nights and said that he would make the rest of them on the second night. On our third day we had not heard from him, so I messaged him asking where our reservations were. He read my text and never responded. I went to the front desk to make our own reservations and they proceeded to tell me that they cannot do the butlers job but will make the reservations for the time being. After I told them that the butler was ignoring our messages they said "Well he is a busy guy". After that I messaged the butler again asking him to reserve a beach cabana for us for the morning, he ignored every single message. He never once checked in with us, or responded or even asked us how it is going. And the worst part is, we would see him around the resort with other guests and he would look at us with a straight face and acted like he did not know who we were.

The food was subpar, we were not expecting the best of the best but we thought that with the resort being a 5 star, it would have good food. The food was horrible, the only good things we ate were at the Sakura restaurant and the semi-good pizza at the El Mercado buffet. The food was awful and most nights gave us diarrhea..... We were absolutely disgusted with the food and by the end of the trip we just wanted to go home......

The service was so hit or miss. You either had great bartenders or ones that could not care less. We tipped well thinking that would help and it was not appreciated whatsoever. Half of the workers could not speak english either so it was so difficult to try and get help or ask questions or even just talk to them at all. We tried using google translate and they pushed us off and said "no english, no comprehend" They also have a lazy river, but the catch is you have to buy a tube there to enjoy the lazy river..... they do not provided tubes!! And the tubes there costed 45$ USD!!!! They gouge you!!! The "private beach" has people all over it hassling you to buy things like necklaces and stuff like that and they do not leave you alone!!!! The Mini bar in the room was so disappointing too, they provided you with three water bottles, three small beer cans and two mini liquor bottles (the one shot ones). Absolutely horrible. The beach towels you get in privilege are supposed to be replaced daily and they were not, we had to bring them down to the towel place to get new ones.

The room service was horrible too. We were so sick of the buffet so we decided to order room service for lunch one day. I called at 2pm and the food did not show up until 650pm and by then we were already out on our way to dinner. I called the next day at night for some juice and they never brought it to us!!!!!

They rarely had any events or activities going on during the day and it was not advertised either!! The website says jet skiing was available but it was not. The website also said that privilege guests got a steak and lobster special dinner per 4 night stay, and we never got that and when we asked about it, they said they do not do that....

We spoke to multiple people about the horrendous experiences we had to try and get help and no body did anything to help us.

My boyfriend and I made the most out of the horrible experience we had by just trying to enjoy the sun and the time off but honestly, it was so brutal that I would never recommend this place to anyone. Our travel agent even tried getting a hold of the hotel to figure out what was going on and why we were being treated so poorly and they pushed her off too.

We paid extra for privilege for the extra benefits and we got scammed and they never tried to make right what they did wrong. Manuel was the worst and if they consider that a butler, they need to visit a true 5 star resort to figure out the meaning of good service.

Do not waste your money here!!!!! This place is not 5 star!!! [Details]

Check in was negative the clerk advised us that if we lost our bracket wrist band it would cost us $150 us. I chuckled at the ridiculous statement. Any guest who lost a wristband would not do so on purpose and most properties would give another with passport proof. Found this 1st impression negative, not accomodating and ridiculous. 2 small 355 ml of beer in room fridge is also a joke...its an all inclusive. We paid 5.00 us for 6 extra small cans which probably went into the employees pocket. [Details]

We had a family of six people at the resort including three children. Our family travels a lot usually three times a year to different destinations. We've been many times in Punta Cana and I'd like to say that this trip was a disappointment. For the price that we paid we were expecting much better service and experience. [Details]

Very beautiful hotel, clean, very well maintained lazy river and garden are spectacular. [Details]

It's a 50-50 resort, means there's positive points and negative points there, not enough chairs around the pools and taken as of last night, friendly staffs, water park for kids and they'll enjoy there, for premium and exclusive members special restaurants and buffet, sometimes too crowded and noisy,
Premium employees bother you every 10 meters every day even if you already said NO, In general if you are an easy going person, it will be acceptable. [Details]

We went to Ocean El FARO to celebrate his 60th birthday. It was the best trip of a life time. I would tell everyone the go to this hotel. It is as beautiful as in the pictures. People are very nice and courteous. I will definitely go back. Loved it very much. [Details]

There are so many reviews to dig through and so many that don't look promising but overall I would recommend this hotel. We travelled with 2 children ages 5 and 18 months.

We stayed from January 20-27th. When we arrived at the hotel the lobby is very grand and beautiful. Upon arrival staff was friendly and helpful at the front desk and the bags were delivered to the room so you do not have to wheel them to your room. The entire resort is probably an eight-to-ten-minute walk from beach to lobby. They do have shuttle buses that will bring you around if you don't want to walk. The main strip is great with everything right there. There is a store (which is grossly overpriced unless you don't care about money but that also comes with travelling so make sure you bring everything you need), all a la carte restaurants (I think there is 6 total plus the buffet unless you are on the el beso side or a privileged traveler I believe there is a few more options for you), bowling alley (we didn't try it), sports bar, the entertainment spot, teen club, spa, gym and a coffee shop. My husband and brother in-law tried the gym out and said it was pretty good.

The coffee shop is fantastic with lots of options for everyone. It does get busy so pack your patience especially when it first opens (7am). A suggestion would be to have it open at 6:00 or 6:30 as a lot of people are early risers.

The a la carte restaurants - we didn't try them until day 3. I think the app got updated halfway through our trip and it fixed the glitch everyone's talking about with booking HOWEVER if you go on at 7 to book a restaurant for 6pm, I bet you it will be available and while your screen is spinning it will say full. Best bet is to book in person at the desk. Be there at 6:45 to avoid a long line up. You will find most restaurants aren't even that busy so not sure how they are full. You might even be lucky to walk up to one in the evening and ask to get in. We only tried the Steakhouse, Margarita and Route 66. All were fantastic. Gerson at Margarita and Jennifer at Route 66 were great. Don't waste your time at the buffet for dinner, book the restaurants you won't be disappointed. Room service was good as well for the kids. Easy to get them chicken nuggets and fries at any time when they were hungry. The snack bar was okay good for a light snack – plate of fries or nachos was always an easy pool side snack. Buffet is the same as any other all inclusive just meh. Something that was helpful for me with kids was I always took food with me back to the room after we left the buffet for the kids to snack on later (pancakes and pizza were perfect).

The pool/beach bars are understaffed. Pack your patience or bring your wallet more then $1 a day and your guaranteed to get a drink fast. We found that if you're not tipping a good amount daily, they don't bother with you and you'll wait 25 minutes for a drink and they will purposely serve other people before you even if you came first. Bring a big cup from home or else you'll finish your tiny cup before you get back to your chair and you just wasted 25 minutes.

The beach is great for kids to dig and play. Go early in the morning to get a cabana to have shade for them. The waves are rough and it is very rocky but a short walk down the beach to the left leads you to a little bay that is great for swimming with the kids. No rocks but also no chairs as it is off the resort but everyone swims there.

The pools were good. Main pool was the party pool. Loud and good entertainment. Hard to get a drink. The next pool closer is to the ocean is quiet and less busy. Bring your towels again early to get a spot with an umbrella. We never had a problem or had a problem getting clean towels. The lazy river was fun bring your own tube from home to avoid disappointment. We just got a few at the dollar store and left them there when we came home. The waterpark is good. My 5-year-old had fun running around and going down the waterslides. My youngest wasn't allowed on it – the whistle blower will find you. The main pools are great for littles as they have a ledge they can stand on and play and cool down. There is also a park that was great and never busy.

Our room was in building 7. It faced the main pool which we enjoyed when we went back to the room you can watch all the drunk people for entertainment and enjoy the music in the afternoon. The room was clean, tv worked well with a lot of stations, good shower and my 5-year-old loved the jacuzzi bathtub. We had a “crib” for our daughter in the room which was just a pack and play so as a warning to other mom's its not a crib just a pack and play that they pile blankets in for the babies to sleep on. Bring your own or let them sleep with you. The maid our first 2 days left nice towel arrangements with flowers. We left her a 10 tip on day 3 and never seen another towel arrangement or anything above and beyond. The person that stocks the fridge the first day we left a 10 tip asking for it to get stocked with lots of beer and water. That day it was full and even had a bag of nuts in it. Every day after that lots of water but only 2 mini cans of beers. Fill your cups at the bar before you go to your room to have drinks in your room.

The WiFi was from the beach to the lobby worked well everywhere.

My only negative review for this hotel would be that the staff is very money hungry. We paid enough money to stay at the resort and we brought $70 worth of tip money and flew through it and still felt like it wasn't enough. Anywhere else the staff would be grateful and appreciative for whatever amount you gave them even if it was only $1.

Overall, I would recommend this hotel but wish the staff was more friendly and attentive to you as this is an ALL inclusive resort. [Details]

We loved it! Checkin was a little rough but after that it was smooth sailing! [Details]

Basic value resort. Did not try to be impressive not even to a returning guest. [Details]

The Hotel is one of the most beautiful hotel when i stay in Dominican Republic.10 star!
Service 8 star.Alexandra server on the beach Fantastic!
Entertainment10 star!
Pool service for adults 4 star!
Rooms always clean ,fresh towels,-10 star! [Details]

It is a 4 & a small fraction star resort. Not 5 star certainly however it really is not priced as such. $1,200 CAN each including flight and transfers from Toronto is an outstanding value. [Details]

Our stay at the hotel was great. I loved the freshness of the hotel as its clean and newly built. The layout and design of the hotel is really nice.
Lots of pools and lazy river for having fun in the water the whole day. Multiple restaurants of different cuisine with good food. Would appreciate more vegetarian options. The entertainment and the shows in the evening were nice too. Beach was very clean and water was great. The service of the hotel was also great. No complaints overall. Good value for money. [Details]

It was a great resort with lots to do. Clean with big rooms. Good beach but requires water shoes. Food was ok (first time in DR). [Details]

very clean beautiful modren hotel .. nathing to complain . the size of rooms are good with all needed equipment . [Details]

Our children booked the Junior Suite Swim Up at this hotel and upon arrival realized that their sliding back door to their room that went to the swim up pool did not lock. The advised the front desk who said they would fix it but did not. On their third night there while they were away from their room, someone broke into their room and stole money and damaged the onsite safe while doing so. My son and his roommate immediately went to the front desk to report it. This is where things get upsetting. The front desk instead of having concern for my child, in turn accused them of breaking the safe, with no logic with why these kids would need to break into a safe that only has their own belongings in it. They proceeded to tell they boys that they would either have to pay $480 USD for the safe or they would kick them and their 3 other friends staying at the hotel out on the streets. (keep in mind the other 3 boys were in different rooms and also had money stolen but no damage in the room). We had the one boy's parent call the front desk as he is from the Dominican to talk to them and at this point we thought everything was handled. Nothing would be done about the money that was stolen but they were no longer asking for the money to replace the safe. Until last night the day before their departure. 10 security officers showed up at our kids doors and demanded that they either pack up their belongings and leave the hotel or pay the money for the safe. They would not leave their rooms even with parents on the phone trying to speak with them. The forced them down to the front lobby to pay for the safe. When the father tried to communicate with the front desk they claimed to not speak English. We all know that the front desk employees always speak English. The boys paid for the safe and were then left alone.

There is zero logic in anything that this hotel did to these kids other than to mark them as easy targets upon the arrival knowing that there is no way parents were going to let them leave this hotel on their own in a foreign country ensuring they would get paid. 3 days of their trip was ruined by the stress and fear that this hotel put into these kids who are simply trying to get a vacation away.

Book at your own risk! [Details]

We got a really good price but i wouldn't probably not return there as its not a 5 stars hotel and very disappointed on food / restaurant.

A bit far from the airport and the beach wasn't good [Details]

Overall we are loving our holiday. We have travelled south for many years. Buffet is good. A la cartes are exceptional. Pool and beach set great, lazy river and kids water park is amazing! Very clean property. [Details]

Great weather and clean accommodations. [Details]

So far I had a great experience. Staff is amazing and very helpful. The food is good and it has very reasonable hrs.. the time for opening and close. [Details]

excellent food life I liked the restaurant zakura and the steak house really very good, the entertainers excellent show [Details]